Kerala Given 60% More Vaccine Doses Than Proposed Allocation : Centre Tells High Court

The Central Government has filed a statement before the Kerala High Court today stating that the State has been supplied with adequate doses of covid vaccines under the National Covid 19 Vaccination Programme.  

The statement was filed in a matter where the Liberalized Pricing and Accelerated National Covid 19 Vaccination Strategy of the Centre was challenged. During the previous hearing, Advocate S Prashanth contended that the supply of vaccines is not adequate in the State, and if a sufficient quantity of vaccines was provided by the Centre, the majority of the people in the age group of 45 years could be vaccinated as a preventive measure. 

Responding to this argument, the statement filed through Assistant Solicitor General P Vijayakumar stated that the vaccines were supplied to States and UTs on a pro-rata basis of the eligible population, the progress of vaccination, and vaccine wastage.  

As per the vaccine allocation for July 2021, the State was entitled to the allocation of 39,02,580 vaccines doses. However, it was supplied with 61,36,720 doses last month according to the report. This is 60% more than the proposed allocation for the State.

Thus, the Union has implied that it was provided enhanced supplies to the State in terms of the vaccine, citing that the State has vaccinated 55% of its eligible population with the 1st dose compared to 42% coverage at the national level. 

Similarly, it was submitted that the 2nd dose coverage in the State was 22% as compared to 12% coverage at the national level. 

For the aforementioned reasons, the Centre asserted that Kerala has been supplied adequate doses of the vaccines under the National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme., while adding the State would continue to be supplied adequate doses as per the availability of vaccines. 

Case Title: Dr. K.P Aravindan & Anr v. Union of India & Ors